Opinion

February 20, 2020 @ 5:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

As we have previously reported, Telegram is engaged in a legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in what may be the biggest SEC cryptocurrency case yet.  One the one side, you have Telegram that raised over a billion dollars from a digital… Read More

February 19, 2020 @ 11:02 am By Nick Bhargava  |  

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed changes to the definition of “accredited investor.” Many issuers and intermediaries hoped the SEC would expand the definition of “accredited investor,” to include qualitative conditions, such as education, or by lowering quantitative thresholds, such as income and… Read More

February 10, 2020 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) and its co-founders have been a leading voice advocating on behalf of online capital formation since Sherwood “Woodie” Neiss and Jason Best helped to create the language of the JOBS Act law that legalized securities crowdfunding in the United States. Neiss… Read More

February 8, 2020 @ 6:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fed Governor Lael Brainard delivered a speech in California this past week discussing the “Digitalization of Payments and Currency.” Brainard has been at the forefront in discussing Fintech innovation providing unique perspective from her perch at the Federal Reserve. She said that BigTechs and Fintechs… Read More

February 8, 2020 @ 9:47 am By Leon Emes  |  

In my former life as an investment banker I didn’t really pay the world of Fintech much heed. In my mind, Fintechs were the reserve of tech-savvy millennials or early adopters and not something for a Generation X Luddite to pay much attention to. Even… Read More

February 6, 2020 @ 2:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

As details continue to circulate regarding the newly proposed digital asset safe harbor for non-security tokens, industry insiders are welcoming the news. Revealed by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce today, the proposal could “create a path for digital token innovators.” Amy Davine Kim, Chief Policy Officer… Read More

February 6, 2020 @ 10:13 am By JD Alois  |  

This week, the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee met at the Commission to discuss access to capital around the country. Multiple presentations were delivered on the state of access to capital including one by the Office of the Advocate for Small Business as… Read More

February 5, 2020 @ 10:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA) has posted a letter addressed to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) asking the agency to clarify its stance on crypto and taxation. In the past, the IRS has issued several statements and warnings to holders of cryptocurrency with… Read More

February 4, 2020 @ 4:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Marcus by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), a digital bank serving customers in the US and UK, is expected to play a significant role in the future of the world’s most successful investment bank. During the recent Investor Day, Goldman outlined its vision for both corporate and… Read More

February 4, 2020 @ 8:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Security Tokens and Real Estate. Recently the University of Oxford published a paper on digital assets and real estate. Entitled, “Tokenization: the Future of Real Estate Investment?“, the document believes there is potential in tokenizing the popular asset class but also sees certain challenges. For… Read More

February 3, 2020 @ 4:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) has published its annual report on Fintech and how it helps the population that is underbanked or not banked at all. The ETA is a trade association representing the payments and transfer sector of Fintech – a sector that is… Read More

February 2, 2020 @ 6:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

On Wednesday, February 5th at 10AM, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Rent-A-Bank Schemes and New Debt Traps: Assessing Efforts to Evade State Consumer Protections and Interest Rate Caps.” The Hearing will most certainly address the emergence of Fintechs, specifically online… Read More

February 1, 2020 @ 4:13 pm By Ben DiScipio  |  

Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) celebrates its fourth birthday this year and many numbers are pointing to success – including the 10,000 jobs created by issuers raising capital under the exemption and the more than $200 million in capital raised. However, despite the successes, critics still… Read More

January 31, 2020 @ 7:00 am By Therese Torris  |  

Every year, the Paris Fintech Forum (PFF) makes a special effort to invite as many female Fintech founders and CEOs as possible to share the stage at its CEO-only conference. However, Laurent Nizri, the CEO of Altéir and PFF organizer, admits that he struggles to… Read More

January 26, 2020 @ 10:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA), in partnership with the global law firm of Linklaters, hosted a forum on dealing with investigations or inquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Enforcement actions or investigations by the SEC in the world of securities… Read More

January 25, 2020 @ 12:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Crowdfund Insider covered a report on the UK and how European financial services firms were being compelled to open new offices in light of Brexit. While a good amount of digital ink has covered the number of firms shuttering offices or lowering headcount… Read More

January 23, 2020 @ 3:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Outspoken entrepreneur and CEO of Prime Trust Scott Purcell has shared his thoughts on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposal to modernize the current definition of an accredited investor. At the moment, an accredited investor in the US is measured by a wealth metric…. Read More

January 21, 2020 @ 8:59 am By JD Alois  |  

While investment crowdfunding rules initially were targeted at early-stage ventures in need of growth capita,l the new rules have fueled the rise of investment platforms for another asset class: real estate investment opportunities. Early-stage ventures, from seed rounds to later-stage venture rounds, tend to include… Read More

January 17, 2020 @ 6:46 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Toronto lawyer Amy ter Haar has provided her take on the Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC’s) CSA Staff Notice 21-327: Guidance on the Application of Securities Legislation to Entities Facilitating the Trading of Crypto Assets. In short, the guidance could render any cryptocurrency trading platform subject to… Read More

January 17, 2020 @ 11:54 am By JD Alois  |  

Israel is a country well-known for its innovation-driven economy. As the saying goes, in Israel you are either an entrepreneur or an investor. Spend a few days there and you will see what I mean. While the factors that have fostered a start-up boom are… Read More